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China: Uighur Detained in Attack

An ethnic Uighur farmer has been detained and accused of killing five people and wounding seven in a knife attack on March 7 in Korla, a center of oil production in the western region of Xinjiang, according to a report on Friday on the Xinjiang government Web site that cited an article in the newspaper Xinjiang Daily. The farmer, Aizitiali Mamuti, 27, had been punished by the authorities for three previous knife attacks, the report said. Right before the attack, he had argued with relatives and had decided to take “revenge on society.” The attack raised questions about ethnic tensions in Korla; in Xinjiang, ethnic Uighurs often speak of discrimination by ethnic Han, who rule China. Four of the victims were Han and one was Hui; the attack also injured six Han and one Uighur.

A version of this brief appears in print on March 16, 2013, on page A9 of the New York edition with the headline: China: Uighur Detained in Attack. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe